Fittings



July 24, 1956 L. F. HOTZ 2,755,484

FITTINGS Filed April 27. 1954 INVENTOR. LE0 l"? HOTZ.

ATTORNLY.

FITTINGS Leo F. Hotz, Altadena, Calif.

Appiication April 27, 1954, Serial No. 426,011

11 Claims. (Cl. 4172) This invention relates to fittings, and in particular to a fastening means for holdinga flexible liner to the inside of a tank.

An object of the invention is to provide a convenient means by which a flexible lining can be attached to the walls of a swimming pool. such an attachment which will hold the edge of the liner in a manner which minimizes the chances of tearing or abrading the liner at the edge of the pool.

The invention is carried out by attaching a strip around the upper edge of the pool walls which strip forms the first member of a pair of clamping arms. Another strip is connected to the first strip so as to form a second of said pair of clamping arms. The arms may be brought toward each other so as to clamp the beaded edge of the flexible pool liner between them. A feature of the invention resides in the provision of a hooked end portion on one of said clamping arms which projects toward the other clamping arm so that when the arms are drawn together, the space between the end of the hook and the opposite arm is narrower than the space between the two arms above the hook. The bead is thereby entrapped between the arms and rests on the hook, and the liner is suspended from its bead.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the inside portion of each arm has an abutment area. The arms are spread apart to receive the bead, and then the arms are forced together so that the abutment areas are against each other. The hook is so dimensioned that the abutment areas meet, and prevent further hook movement, before the hook strikes the opposite arm. This accurately spaces the end of the hook from the opposite arm, and prevents the hook from piercing the liner, while ensuring retention of the bead.

The arms may simply be hammered toward one another or, if desired, as an optional feature of the invention means may be provided for drawing the arms together, such as screws, for example.

The above and other features of this invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view showing the preferred embodiment of a liner attachment means according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section showing the means of Fig. l holding a tank liner to the edge of a swimming pool;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section of another form of attachment means according to the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-section showing another type of beaded edge satisfactory for use with the attachment means of Figs. 1 and 3.

In Fig. 1 there is shown an attachment means comprising a bracket in the form of an extruded strip which is preferably made of a malleable aluminum alloy. This elongated bracketcan be cut to any desired length coextensive with the edge of the liner it is tohold.

The bracket comprises a first clamping'arm 11. having a fiat abutment area 12, a lowerflange 13, and a trans- A related object is to provide I Patented July 24, 1956 2. verse curved section 14 between the lower flange and the abutment area. A mounting. flange 15 projects from the first clamping arm 11. from a point between the curved section 14 and the lower flange 13. A radius 16 is formed at the outer end of the mounting flange to aid in the retention of the flange when' embedded in mortar.

A second clamping arm 17 is disposed opposite the first clamping arm 11. These clamping arms are connected at their upper ends by a loop 18 which has a large enough radius that it will not crack when the arms are flexed relative to each other. The upper end of the second arm 17 has an abutment area 19 opposite the abutment area 12, and the lower. end of the arm 17 is provided with a hook 20 which projects toward the arm 11. The curved section 14 of arm 11 causes the lower flange 13 to stand farther away from arm 17 than the abutment area 12.

The edge of a flexible tank liner 21 is shown in Fig. 2 with an extruded bead member 22 fused thereto. This bead member has a rounded bead 23 and a flat depending strip 24 integral with an extending along the bead. The fusing of the bead member to the tank liner provides a beaded edge for the liner which will resist tearing of the liners edge.

In Fig. 2 there is also shown the upper edge of a swimming pool wall 25. which the flexible liner is to shield from the water. Bythe use ofsuch liners, swimming pools can be built without impermeable concrete walls, and even without concrete bottoms, since the flexible liners serves to hold the water. In fact, in installations of this sort, it is customary to provide no more than a firm sandy bottom for supporting the liner. The mounting flange is shown installed between the top of the concrete wall and a layer of mortar 26. If desired, coping such as the well-known bull-nosed coping 27 can be laid upon the mortar. Self-tapping metal screws 28 are provided for drawing the arms together.

In Fig. 3 there is shownanother form of attachment means according to the invention. These alternate means comprises a pair of strip extrusions 29, 30. The first extrusion 29 has a lower flange 31, an upper flat abutment area 32, and a transverse curved section 33 joining the lower flange and the abutment area. A mounting flange 34 projects from the. extrusion 29 even with the curved section. Extrusion 29provides a first clamping arm. The other extrusion is generally U shaped, the bight 35 of the U forming an upper abutment area 36, and the legs forming an upper. flange 37 and a lower hook 335. This strip 30 forms the second of the pair of clamping arms for holding the beaded edge 39 of a pool liner. Metal screws 4t) may'be provided for connecting the two strips together.

Fig. 4 shows another useful type of head for the edge of the flexible liner 21 in which the liners edge is simply bent'around a body 41 suchas a piece of twine, and the end of the liner is fused to the body ofthe liner to enclose the body and form the bead. It can be used with either embodiment of attachment means.

To install the liner utilizing the attachment means of Fig. l, the mounting flange is first fixed to the edge of the pool. This may bedone by means of cement nails driven through the mounting flange into theconcrete, or may be accomplished as shown by burying the mounting flange under a layer of mortar so that the lower flange 12 bears against the concrete wall. Then the" beaded edge of the flexible liner is inserted in the space between the two clamping arms andthe metal screws 28 are tightened down so as to draw the clamping arms together. It will be appreciated that further tightening of the screws pulls the arms together. until the abutment areasv 12 and 19 meet, and then further movementofthe arms is not possible. At. this. point, the hookis. still spaced from the.

lower flange 12 of the opposite arm, and therefore the hook can never out through the flexible liner, the abutment areas serving as self-limiting devices for this purpose.

The attachment means of Fig. 3 is installed in substantially the same fashion, except that the two clamping arms are initially separate parts, and are held together on installation by the metal screws 40. However, the abutment areas 32 and 36 serve to limit the hook members movement in this embodiment also.

It will be appreciated that by the use of this attachment means there is no necessity for pulling the tank liner over the edge of the pool in order to suspend it therefrom, nor is there any necessity for placing objects atop the flexible liner in order to protect it from scufling, scratching or abrasion. Since the weight of the water holds the liner tightly against the wall and the bottom of the pool, the load on the hooked clamping arm is not great. In fact, when the liner is properly installed and the pool filled, the load does not ordinarily exceed 3 pounds per inch of strip.

Swimming pool liners of the type described which have been installed by conventional means have ordinarily suffered considerable damage from the dragging of buckles and other objects across the exposed edge. The brackets of this invention avoid such damage, since the only exposed part of the liner is that which is pressed against the side of the pool. The edge of the liner is completely enclosed, and furthermore, the enclosure is that of smooth metal surfaces which protect the liner from abrasion and cannot be improperly installed, since the abutment areas prevent the hook from being drawn into the sheet so as to cut it. reusable when the liner needs to be replaced. In order to remove the liner it is only necessary to unthread the screw 28 and spread the arms 11 and 17 apart. This releases the liner from between the arms of the clamp. When a new liner is installed, the screw may simply be re-inserted in the holes and tightened down to draw the arms of the clamp together again. The loop 18, particularly when made of aluminum, will have sufficient resilience to permit the occasional flexure required for the reinstallation. It has been found that the life of these plastic liners is generally as great as five years, so that the flexure is not overly frequent.

It will be appreciated that the metal of the clamp is relatively rigid, and may simply be hammered into the position shown in Fig. 2, without the use of screws 28 or other means for drawing the arms together. This bracket has the advantage that hammering the arms together will not cause the hook to pierce the lining, since the abutment areas meet, and prevent any further hook movement before the hook cuts into the lining. To re move and replace the liner, the arms need only be pried apart, and then the arms may be hammered together again to hold a replacement liner.

The bracket of Fig. 3 has the advantage that no flexure occurs in any of the parts, so that itis even less susceptible of cracking when the liner is replaced than is the clamp of Fig, 1.

By the term clamped as used in this specification, there is meant an entrapment of the bead between the two clamping arms and above the hook. This preferably connotes a loose enclosure of the head between the two arms so that the Weight of the liner is suspended by the beads resting on the hook, rather than by the beads being squeezed between the two clamping arms. Of course, such a positive clamping action is also within the contemplation of this invention, but is not to be preferred.

It will be understood that the transverse sections 14 and 33 need not be curved, but can be of any desired shape, their purpose being to space the hook from the opposite flange. Also the mounting flanges and 34 need not be strictly perpendicular to the abutment areas, but may be formed to the most desirable contour. Also,

the abutment areas need not be flat, so long as they can firmly abut against one another.

This invention is not to be limited by the embodiments shown in the drawings and described in the description, which are given by way of example and not of limitation, but only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Atttachment means for fastening the beaded edge of a tank liner to the wall of a tank, comprising a pair of clamping arms, said clamping arms being connectible so as to be drawn together for enclosing said beaded edge, a first of said clamping arms having a lower downwardly extending flange and a flat abutment area, an intermediate curved section spacing said lower flange and abutment area horizontally from each other, the second of said clamping arms having an abutment area generally opposite said first mentioned abutment area and having a hook on the end thereof opposite the lower flange, a mounting flange projecting from a point on the first of said arms between the lower flange and the curved section, whereby said mounting flange may be held to the tank edge for mounting the attachment means thereto, and means for drawing the abutment areas of the two clamping arms together, thereby drawing the hook toward the lower flange to hold said beaded liner edge above said hook and between said clamping arms.

2. Attachment means for fastening the beaded edge of a tank liner to the wall of a tank, comprising a pair of clamping arms joined so as to be movable toward each other for enclosing said beaded edge, a first of said clamping arms having a lower downwardly extending flange and an abutment area, a curved section spacing said lower flange and abutment area horizontally from each other, the second of said clamping arms having an abutment area generally opposite said first mentioned abutment area and having a hook thereon opposite and directed toward the said lower flange, a mounting flange projecting from a point on the first of said arms between the lower flange and the curved section, whereby said mounting flange may be held to the tank edge for mounting the attachment means thereto, said hook and lower flange being spaced from one another by the curved section when the abutment areas bear against each other.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the clamping arms are joined by a flexible loop therebetween and in which the means for drawing the two arms together comprises a screw insertable through the abutment areas of the two arms, whereby tightening of said screw pulls the arms together so as to clamp the beaded end of the flexible liner therebetween.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the end of the hook remains spaced from the lower flange of the first clamping arm when the abutment areas are in contact with each other.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the second clamping arm comprises a U shaped strip separate from said first clamping arm having an upper flange, a lower flange forming a hook, and a bight forming an abutment area, whereby joinder of the two clamping arms causes the abutment areas to bear against each other and the hook to project toward the lower flange of the first clamping arm.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the end of the hook remains spaced from the lower flange of the first clamping arm when the abutment areas are in contact with each other.

7. Attachment means for fastening the beaded edge of a tank liner to the wall of a tank, comprising a pair of clamping arms joined so as to be movable toward each other for enclosing said beaded edge, a first of said arms having a lower downwardly extending flange and an abutment area, the second of said arms having an abutment area generally opposite the abutment area of the first arm, a hook on said second arm opposite the lower flange of the first arm and directed toward said lower flange, and a transverse section in one of said arms for spacing said hook from said flange when the abutment areas are adjacent each other, whereby drawing the abutment areas together draws the hook toward the lower flange, and the abutment areas meet and prevent the further approach of the hook and lower flange toward each other, thereby preventing contact of the hook and the lower flange and leaving a space through which the liner can pass, and a mounting flange projecting from one of said arms, whereby said mounting flange may be held to the tank edge for mounting the attachment means thereto.

8. Attachment means for fastening the beaded edge of a tank liner to the wall of a tank, comprising a pair of clamping arms, said clamping arms being connectible so as to be drawn together for enclosing said beaded edge, a first of said clamping arms having a lower downwardly extending flange and an abutment area, said lower flange and abutment area being spaced horizontally from each other by a transverse section, the second of said clamping arms having an abutment area generally opposite said first mentioned abutment area and having a hook thereon opposite and directed toward the lower flange, said hook and transverse section being so disposed and arranged that when the abutment areas contact each other, said hook and said lower flange are spaced from each other, a mounting flange projecting from a point on the first of said arms between the lower flange and the transverse section, whereby said mounting flange may be held to the tank edge for mounting the attachment means thereto, and means for drawing the abutment areas of the two clamping arms together, thereby drawing the hook toward the lower flange to hold said beaded liner edge above said hook and between said clamping anns.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 in which the clamping arms are joined by a flexible loop therebetween, and in which the means for drawing the two arms together comprises a screw insertable in the abutment areas of the two arms, whereby tightening of said screw pulls the arms together so as to clamp the beaded end of the flexible liner therebetween.

10. In combination, a tank liner having a dimension of thickness and an enlarged beaded edge, and attachment means for fastening the beaded edge of a tank liner to the wall of a tank, comprising a pair of clamping arms, said clamping arms being connectible so as to be drawn together for enclosing said beaded edge, a first of said clamping arms having a lower downwardly extending flange and a flat abutment area, an intermediate curved section spacing said lower flange and abutment area horizontally from each other, the second of said clamping arms having an abutment area generally opposite said first mentioned abutment area and having a hook on the end thereof opposite the lower flange, a mounting flange projecting from a point on the first of said arms between the lower flange and the curved section, whereby said mounting flange may be held to the tank edge for mounting the attachment means thereto, and means for drawing the abutment areas, of the two clamping arms together, thereby drawing the hook toward the lower flange to hold said beaded liner edge above said hook and between said clamping arms.

11. In combination, a tank liner having a dimension of thickness and an enlarged beaded edge, and attachment means for fastening the beaded edge of a tank liner to the wall of a tank, comprising a pair of clamping arms joined so as to be movable toward each other for enclosing said beaded edge, a first of said clamping arms having a lower downwardly extending flange and an abutment area, a curved section spacing said lower flange and abutment area horizontally from each other, the second of said clamping arms having an abutment area generally opposite said first mentioned abutment area and having a hook thereon opposite and directed toward the said lower flange, a mounting flange projecting from a point on the first of said arms between the lower flange and the curved section, whereby said mounting flange may be held to the tank edge for mounting the attachment means thereto, said hook and lower flange being spaced from one another by the curved section when the abutment areas bear against each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,390,750 Tinnerman Dec. 11, 1945 

